


Falling for Nobody Else But You

by baconnegg



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Artists, Alternate Universe - College/University, Dating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Engagement, Get Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Making Out, Marriage Proposal, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2012-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-23 02:06:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/616883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baconnegg/pseuds/baconnegg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snapshots of Steve and Tony's life as art school roommates. Only good things can come from this. </p><p>A small Christmas gift for my wifey that turned into a sprawling epic and a week late. Oops.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling for Nobody Else But You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Slashluvr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Slashluvr).



> Quick things: Tony has a few opinions about illustrators in this (it'll make sense in context), I promise they are not my own. It's just Tony being Tony. 
> 
> Also, NYSA is not an actual art school, as far as I know. I based this fic off my own experiences and what I gleaned from MICA's website. 
> 
> Longer thing (that's what she said (sorry)): Trigger warning for minor character death and discussion thereof. Spoiler: It's Tony's parents. There's a couple brief glimpses into Tony's poor relationship with his father which might be a little disturbing. 
> 
> Happy reading!

**September**

Steve sticks his head out into the living room for the fifth time, still no sign of his roommate. The other bedroom door was locked, there were dishes in the cupboards, a Starbucks cup on the coffee table. Why would they come and go so fast? It was only two in the afternoon. 

Maybe they’re having a farewell lunch with their parents, Steve thinks as he organizes his few worldly possessions. Or meeting up with old friends. New York School of Art had notoriously loose dorm policies. His roommate might be a different major, a different year, or even a different gender. Steve hopes he’ll get along with them, they did have to share a bathroom for eight months.

Steve jumps a little when he hears the front door open, followed by footsteps and off-key humming. He closes his sock drawer and rehearses his greeting on his way to the foyer. _Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Steve Rogers. And you are-?_

“Tony Stark.” Steve says accidentally. Indeed, the handsome face greeting him is that of Howard Stark’s son. A senior environmental and interaction design double major, already lavished with major awards and proper celebrity status. Primed to take over his father’s design empire whenever the time comes. Steve found it curious to see him in a dorm just like everybody else.

“The one and only.” Tony smiles and examines Steve through thick, square glasses. He reaches out for a handshake. “And who might you be?”

“Ste-Steve Rogers,” Steve stutters when Tony runs a callused thumb purposefully over his knuckle. “Your roommate. Uh, how are you?”

“Fine. Steve Rogers, hm?” Tony looks thoughtful as he kicks his sneakers off. “Sounds familiar. Have we met?”

“No, but it was your dad that gave me a scholarship so I could go here. We did a couple grip and grins for some newspapers. Maybe you saw that?” That was one of the best days of Steve’s life. Howard Stark had a table at the portfolio day his class had gone to, and his art teacher had goaded him to go up. He’d never expected someone like that to tell him he was good, let alone pay for his schooling.

The smile is instantly gone from Tony’s face. He slides around Steve and heads for the kitchen. “Oh yeah, you’re the foster care kid who can draw really good. I remember now.”

“Oh, he mentioned me?” Steve’s fists ball in confusion behind his back. He peers over the fridge door as Tony digs. “I didn’t think I made that strong of an impression...”

“Well, apparently you did. He doesn’t give out full scholarships to everybody.” Tony stands up holding an armful of hotdogs, chip dip, and vodka. “So, yeah. Buy your own groceries. Don’t use up all the hot water. Keep noise to a minimum, I don’t like distractions when I’m working. Which is to say all the time. Have a good semester, roomie.”

And with that, Tony was disappeared behind his bedroom door. Steve returns to his own room after a moment and lays on his too-small bed. Very much wanting someone to write home to and ask for advice.

 **October**

“-And that’s how I did it when I was a freshman. Saves a lot of time and stess. Call it a protip.” Coulson smiles at Steve from across the desk. A fifth year in the art education program and the T.A. for Steve’s sketching class. He’d taken a shine to Steve and didn’t mind spending his entire office hours with him. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“No,” Steve says, taking the figure model Coulson had sketched out on some scrap paper. “I think I’m doing alright with everything else.”

“I thought as much. How’s everything else? Are you enjoying college so far?”

“Yeah, I am. It’s a little nerve-wracking at times, new environment and new people.” Steve rubs the back of his neck. “But I think I’m getting used to it. It would have been nice to get a friendlier roommate, though.”

A tired look comes over Coulson. “Stark’s not, you know, bothering you or doing anything inappropriate, is he?”

“No, no. Just the opposite in fact. I hardly ever see him.” Tony spent most of his time locked in room working. He only left to grab junk food or people to bring home and have loud, drunken sex with. He didn’t even go to class, except to drop off assignments and take exams. “Not that we have anything to talk about. Could be worse. Definitely not worth jumping through hoops to get a transfer.”

“That attitude will serve you well here.” Coulson holds his coffee mug up in mild salute. “Are you making friends elsewhere?”

“Yeah. There’s a girl, Carol, in a few of my classes. We seem to get along pretty well and she says she’ll introduce me to her group of friends during reading week.”

“Oh, yes, Danvers. Lovely woman. That’s great.” Coulson grins and starts putting away his papers as Steve gets up to leave. “Well, I’ll see you in two weeks. Enjoy your break and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Steve grins wide. “Like fending off two convenience store robbers with baking supplies? I’ll try not to.”

Coulson drops his pencil case in surprise. “That was three years ago! Who told you-” The door clicks shut and Steve giggles all the way home.

* * *

Back at the dorm, Steve discovers a strange man on the couch, scribbling in a sketchbook furiously. At least they’re clothed this time. “Hey there, what’s your name?”

The curly-haired man visibly freezes, then jumps up and starts grabbing his things. “Sorry- Tony told me to come over, the door was unlocked but he wasn’t- I should have left earlier. Sorry. I’ll go,-”

“Hey! It’s fine!” Steve sticks a hand out in a now well-practiced greeting. “I’m Steve, Tony’s roommate and freshman illustration major. What’s your name?”

The man looks at Steve, then at his hand before shaking it a little limply. “Bruce. Senior in architecture. I’ve been in classes with Tony for a couple years. Sorry for intruding.”

“No trouble. Have a seat.” Steve pours them two glasses of tap water, the only non-alcoholic liquid in the apartment, thanks to Steve’s small grocery budget.

Bruce smiles as he takes the glass. “Tony’s talked about you.”

“Oh, has he?”

Bruce’s smile turns apologetic. “He says you’re his best roommate yet, by far.”

Steve raises an eyebrow, his voice slightly bitter. “Not sure where he got that from, we hardly see each other.”

“Yeah, he’s a bit single-minded and...different.” Bruce toys with his glasses, voice revealing he’s had to make this defence before. “But he’s an alright guy, once you get to know him.”

“I guess so.”

The two sit in awkward silence for a long minute. Steve feels guilty and reaches for his sketchbook. He smiles and holds it out tentatively. “Wanna switch?”

Within moments, they’re flipping through each other’s sketchbooks and chatting like old friends. They don’t even notice Tony come in until he coughs loudly.

“Looks like you made a new friend, Brucie.” Tony grins at the two of him, both frowning at him for different reasons. “By the way, Steve, Bruce is single, and vice versa. You have my blessing, just be sure to use protection.”

“ _Tony!_ ” Steve and Bruce shout in unison.

“I’m just saying! We busy students have to relieve stress every once and awhile, eh?” Tony scowls at Bruce. “Is that my sweatervest?”

“No, it’s not.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s mine.”

“Why would I take your clothes?”

“You tell me!”

“Tony.” Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re making me angry.”

“Fine.” Tony pouts and walks towards his room. “But hurry up and finish your date. You know what happens when I do Powerpoints by myself.”

Bruce sighs and takes his sketchbook back. “Sorry about this. Nice meeting you, Steve.”

“Nice meeting you, too. See you around.” Steve waves as Bruce disappears into the black hole of Tony’s room.

 **November**

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“Excuse me?” Steve jerks from staring blankly at the dish he’s scrubbing.

“After you graduate. What do you wanna get paid to do?” Tony looks up from his position, bent over the crisper drawer. A Friday night Jell-o experiment had exploded early Saturday morning. The squishy shrapnel had managed to coat nearly every surface of the small fridge, and was remarkably difficult to remove.

Steve takes a moment to answer, surprised but pleased that Tony’s attempting normal interaction with him for once. “Well, an illustrator. Nice steady job. Sit at my desk at home, draw all day, pay my bills. It was either that or graphic design. But illustration’s the better option for me and my plans.”

“What do you mean ‘either that or graphic design?”

“Well, graphic design’s much more demanding on your personal life. And I prefer paper over computers most of the time.”

“Hold up.” Tony holds his sponge up like a stop sign. “You’re actually picking the thing you have to do for the rest of your life based on _how good the hours are _?”__

__Steve looks down, a quizzical look on his face. Tony’s gone back to furiously scrubbing. “Yes, I am. I mean, we’d all like to live out some starving artist fantasy. Unfortunately, a steady income is required if you don’t want your heat shut off and a narrower future for your kids.”_ _

__“So you want the wife, babies, and white picket fence thing?”_ _

__“And maybe a dog.”_ _

__“You can have all that and still do the job you actually wanna do.”_ _

__Steve shoots a side-glare at Tony. “Only if it’s the right job.”_ _

__“Then what’s the wrong job? What’s your starving artist fantasy?” Tony stops scrubbing for a second. “Wow, that sounds like the title of a really weird porno.”_ _

__Steve clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Well, if I was being childish I’d say I want to draw comics for a living. But I’m not going to have an empty bank account just so I can spend all day doing something I can do in my spare time.”_ _

__Tony whistles. “Wow. I hope that bank account sparks passion in your soul.”_ _

__“Oh come on. Girls don’t marry guys who can’t take care of themselves,-”_ _

__“-Marry another guy, then. Or stop being sexist and consider that maybe a woman can make more money than you.”_ _

__“I am not sexist!” Steve slams a dish down hard on the counter, thank god it’s plastic. “I can’t anticipate what my future partner will be like. I have to take care of myself. Not all of us get to go into the family business, thank you very much.”_ _

__Tony sighs and growls to himself. “At least I actually _want_ to do what I’m doing.” They finish the cleaning in silence._ _

__A few hours later, Tony pops out of his room and starts searching around like a squirrell. “Where the hell are my glasses?”_ _

__“Over here.” Steve plucks them off the couch cushion and hands them to Tony. “...Huh.”_ _

__“What?” There’s still an edge of the frustration from earlier in Tony’s voice._ _

__“Just never got a good look at your eyes before.” They’re large enough to be just this side of disproportionate. A pleasant shade of brown. Very expressive. Worth commenting on, out of interest, nothing else. “They look really different without lenses in front of them.”_ _

__“Oh yeah, these Coke bottles.” Tony twirls them in his hand. “When I was a kid I always wanted laser eye surgery. Then when I was old enough to get it, glasses were suddenly sexy. Decided it’s probably better to hang onto them for a while longer.”_ _

__“Yeah, they match your hipster wardrobe so well.”_ _

__“Hey, you’re not a full hipster unless you grow some facial hair.” Tony rocks back on his heels. “Actually, I’ve been considering growing a beard. What do you think?”_ _

__“Might ruin the baby-face thing you’ve got going on there, I’ve been told girls like that.” Steve shrugs and goes back to sketching out his painting onto a small canvas. “But it’s your head, you decided what to grow out of it.”_ _

__Tony smirks at him. “Nice words of wisdom there. And I do not have a baby-face, how dare you.”_ _

__Steve smirks back. “How dare I, indeed.”_ _

__**December** _ _

__Steve breaths a little sigh of relief as he walks through campus carrying a box of groceries. His grades had been posted and were quite good. His scholarship would remain intact. Now all he had to do was repeat that seven more times and everything would be fine._ _

__At that, his sigh turns frustrated. Money. A student’s Kryptonite. He’d been hunting for a part-time job for four months with no luck. It didn’t help that he’d had to pay two hundred bucks he didn’t have to stay in the dorms over winter break. On the bright side, the lack of a job meant he had plenty of time to work on personal projects until second semester started. And the apartment was especially quiet, he hadn’t seen Tony since the morning of the seventeenth. Three days ago._ _

__Steve walks past some design students (recognizable by their almost all-black attire) smoking on a bench. The blonde man stops chatting with the red-haired girl and looks at Steve a little funny. “Hey, you! Aren’t you Steve Rogers?”_ _

__Steve stops short and nearly slips on some slush. “Ah, yes. How do you know my name?”_ _

__“I’m a friend of your T.A., he’s talked about you a lot.” The man takes a drag off his cigarette while Steve savours his deja vu. “So, you’re roommates with Stark, right? How’s he coping?”_ _

__“Coping? Coping with what?”_ _

__“You don’t know?” The woman looks at him in surprise. “It’s been all over the news.”_ _

__“I, uh, don’t watch TV and I don’t have a computer.” Steve feels fear tighten in his throat. “What happened?”_ _

__“His parents- You know who they are, right? -died in a plane crash three days ago. Just awful.”_ _

__“Oh my _god_.” Steve tightens his grip on his groceries and turns to go. “I had no idea! Thank you for telling me!”_ _

__The pair watch as he runs for the dorms, slipping and sliding all the way. The woman drops her cigarette and crushes it under her heel. “He never did tell us how Stark was coping.”_ _

__The man adjusts his purple scarf. “No, but I suspect we’ll find out one way or another.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__Steve drops the bags as soon as he shuts the dorm door behind him. He’s got no idea what to do, no idea where Tony would be. He’s met Pepper more than a few times, but doesn’t have so much as a phone number to contact her, or anyone else. What can he do?_ _

__His eye catches the glint of Tony’s bedroom doorknob. It was wrong to go through someone’s stuff, sure, but dammit, it’s for a good reason. He needs some hint, some way to find Tony. It’s been three days, for Christ’s sake. Steve swallows hard and fears the worst._ _

__The doors opens easily, no lock barring his way. The smell of alcohol smarts his nose and he has to squint into the darkness when the lightswitch doesn’t work. He misses it on his first scan and jumps a little when he finally sees it. Tony’s form curled up in one corner of the room, surrounded by empty bottles and other detritus._ _

__Tony, thank god, shakes awake quite easily. He peers up at Steve with bleary, bloodshot eyes that say everything and nothing at the same time. There’s a dozen things Steve wants to ask. _Why didn’t you say anything, what are you doing in here, how did you hide for three days_. But none of that’s important right now._ _

__“Tony, I’m so sorry.” Steve lifts Tony up by the armpits and holds him against his chest. “I had no idea until some stranger told me on the way here. I’m so, so sorry.”_ _

__Tony doesn’t say anything, just sucks in a few ragged breaths._ _

__“I know there’s nothing I can say or do that will make it better. But if there’s anything you need, anything at all, just tell me.”_ _

__A muffled, slurred voice against his shoulder. “Really?”_ _

__“Really.”_ _

__A short pause, a deep breath. “Could you just, just stay with me? Could you?”_ _

__“Of course.” Steve very carefully lifts Tony up and lays him on the bed. Steve spends the night there, only getting up to make soup that Tony barely touches._ _

__At the end of the second day, they’ve moved to the living room couch and Tony’s fully sobered up. Pepper and Rhodey had their frantic voicemails returned and Bruce had dropped by for a little while._ _

__“You don’t have to do this.”_ _

__“I know I don’t have to, but it’s the right thing to do.” Steve looks up from his sketchbook at Tony leaning on his shoulder. “I...know what it feels like to lose one parent. I can’t imagine losing both at the same time.”_ _

__Tony snaps his head up, making his glasses slip down his nose. “I thought you did lose both at the same time. When you were a baby, right?”_ _

__“What? No, I-” Steve shakes his head, recalling the newspaper interview he did after getting the scholarship. “Oh right, I misspoke and they ran with it. My dad died when I was a baby, Mom passed away last October.”_ _

__“ _That_ recently? Jesus, Steve, why didn’t you- How did you even apply for college?”_ _

__“Um, on the computer like everybody else?”_ _

__Tony smacks his hand against his forehead. “Not what I meant! How did you just carry on and do what you needed to do? Fuck, I don’t even have the energy to take a goddamn shower.”_ _

__Steve tries to wrap an arm around Tony’s shoulders, but the angle is too awkward. He opts to set a hand on Tony’s knee. “It was really hard for a while. I missed a lot of school and I had to go live with strange people in a strange house. Eventually, I realized that laying in bed all day wasn’t going to change anything. So I just...got up and dealt with it, I guess.”_ _

__Tony bristles. “So you’re saying I should get over it and quit my whining, huh?”_ _

__Steve sighs loudly. “No, I’m not! Let it hurt for as long as you need to, just don’t let it ruin the rest of your life.”_ _

__Tony squirms away until his back hits the arm of the couch. “Don’t give me that bullshit! You were just a kid! I’m an adult who should be able to get a fucking grip!”_ _

__“Are you really turning this into a contest?” Steve fights with himself to control the volume of his voice. “Mom was sick for a long time, I knew it was going to happen. All I did afterwards was finish high school and get into college, those aren’t exactly lifetime achievement award-worthy accomplishments!”_ _

__“You got all that praise and money out of my dad! That’s a hell of a lot more than I ever got!”_ _

__The silence between them is sudden and thick. Tony’s eyes widen with realization. He bolts for the bathroom and locks the door before Steve can even get a word out._ _

__Steve tries to coax Tony out, but Tony only replies by turning on Steve’s shower radio and blasting it at top volume. Steve finally gives up and nods off on the couch. The next morning, he finds Tony perched in the ratty armchair near the foot of the couch. He’s sipping at some vodka and doesn’t notice Steve waking up._ _

__Steve approaches him slowly, trying not to scare him off again. Tony whimpers and flaps his hand when Steve takes the bottle away. Steve rests his free hand on Tony’s shoulder and waits._ _

__Tony doesn’t look at him. “One time, I actually told my dad I wanted him to die. I didn’t mean it like that. Not with ten, fifteen minutes to think about it beforehand. At least the end part was quick, I hope.”_ _

__“Tony-”_ _

__“And I didn’t want Mom to die.”_ _

__The two stay still and silent for quite some time. Tony’s eyes slide closed and Steve picks him up. Once Tony is tucked in and in a reasonably deep sleep, Steve goes into the bathroom to scrub off the morning gunk. He’s pained to notice that all the reflective surfaces have been moved or covered, and that the wastebasket is filled with wet, balled-up sheets of toilet paper._ _

__* * *_ _

__“Steve, Steve?”_ _

__Steve hears Tony’s voice distantly and pulled his blanket higher. The remnants of a dream, must be. Tony had gone out last night with his dad’s business partner, said not to wait up. Since the funerals couldn’t be held until the crash investigation was over, Steve was glad to see Tony go and get his mind off things for a little while._ _

__“Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve.” A finger jabs his forehead. Okay, not a dream._ _

__“Mmmwhat?”_ _

__“Merry Christmas, Steve.” Tony’s smiling face fills Steve’s blurry vision. “Rise and shine, I’ve got presents and slightly-burnt pancakes out in the living room for us.”_ _

__“Oh Tony, you didn’t have to. Not with,-” Steve stops when he catches a familiar flash in Tony’s eyes. A fast _Please don’t mention it not right now please can we just do something else_. “Give me a hand up, would you?”_ _

__Tony’s smile is back at full capacity as he helps Steve out of bed. He reaches a hand out to twirl a cowlick. “This is a good look for you, you could totally rock the intentional bedhead thing.”_ _

__“Quit it.” Steve lightly smacks his hand away. He feels embarrassed but isn’t quite sure why._ _

__The pancakes turn out to be more than slightly burnt, but are rather tasty once half of them are scraped away. As soon as Steve’s finished, Tony shoves a hastily wrapped box under his nose. “Open mine first!”_ _

__“Alright, alright.” Steve takes the box and tears a strip of paper off. “...A laptop? Tony, you shouldn’t have.”_ _

__“Trust me, I should have. Surviving college will be much easier with one of these babies.” Tony pokes Steve’s leg with his foot. “Finish opening it, you’re like an old man.”_ _

__“Okay, okay. Wait, why is the box already open?”_ _

__“Because I’ve seen how behind you are with technology, and I’d rather find a way to lick my elbow than watch you try to set that thing up.”_ _

__Steve glares at him. “I can learn, if someone gives me a chance.”_ _

__“I know you can, but it’s Christmas. Take a break from learning. Open the rest of them, will you? You’re killing me.”_ _

__Ten minutes and a lot of torn wrapping paper and tape later, Steve is the proud owner of a top-of-the-line laptop, a tablet, a mouse, two external hard drives, and more wires than he knows what to do with._ _

__“I put all the Adobe programs on there, too,” Tony grins as Steve caresses the technology on his lap. “And I got you a Tumblr. You need to start putting your stuff out there.”_ _

__“Tony.” Steve has to swallow before continuing. “This is way too much. I can’t accept all of this.”_ _

__“Yes, you can. Just say ‘Gee, thanks Tony! This is great!’ That’s not so hard, is it?”_ _

__“I’m serious. I can’t accept this! My gifts don’t even come close to measuring up.”_ _

__“That’s all that’s bothering you? The cost? Wow, Scrooge much?”_ _

__“ _Tony-_ ”_ _

__“Hey, take it easy!” Tony claps a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “At the risk of sounding like the heartless bastard I really am, as of a few days ago, I’m a billionaire. This stuff is pennies to me now.”_ _

__“Oh, I see.” Steve looks at his feet. “Well, thank you. I really do appreciate all of this. Please-”_ _

__“You’re welcome! Awkward emotional moment over!” Tony jumps to his feet. “What’d you get me? Where is it?”_ _

__“It’s on the table, here.” Tony races over and snatches the tissue-filled grocery bag up. “Like I said, it’s really not much in comparison.”_ _

__Tony’s already torn through the bag and found the red woolens. “A scarf? And a hat?”_ _

__“I made them in my fibre arts class. I noticed you only wear gloves.”_ _

__“Gotta protect the hands. But I guess my head’s pretty important too.” Tony tries them on. “Perfect fit and my favourite colour. Can’t ask for more than that. Thanks, Steve.”_ _

__“You’re welcome.” Steve grins, finding it hard not to take Tony’s wide smile as anything but genuine. “So what’s this Tumblr thing you mentioned?”_ _

__“Right here.” Tony flips open the laptop and finds the website in a second. “Your username is ‘steveart’ and your password is ‘Tony is awesome’ with no spaces and appropriate capitalization.”_ _

__Steve just looks at Tony as he types. “Really?”_ _

__“Yeah, what?”_ _

__“Okay. How does this work? You scroll and- oh, I see. This is kinda fun-Tony.” Steve visibly twitches and lifts a hand to massage his temple. “Why is there porn on here?”_ _

__“I figured a young, single man such as yourself would appreciate that side of the site.” Tony manages to keep a straight face as he stands up. “Wasn’t sure what you’re into, so I picked one of the sex positivity blogs. They have great variety.”_ _

__“Tony, how do I get rid of this?”_ _

__“You’ll have to figure that out yourself, have fun learning!”_ _

__“Tony, get back here!”_ _

__“Sorry, can’t stay. Got an urgent appointment with the vending machine!”_ _

__“ _Tony!_ ”_ _

__Later, when Steve’s found the ‘unfollow’ button and they’re watching old holiday specials on Netflix and Tony’s holiday enthusiasm runs out, he flops against Steve’s shoulder, then onto his lap. It should bother him, Steve thinks as he picks at the leftover chicken rice. But it doesn’t. And thinking too hard during winter break really is overrated._ _

__“Merry Christmas, Tony.” Steve says quietly, poking Tony’s side._ _

__“Mmph,” is all Tony manages before falling asleep._ _

__**January** _ _

__The crash investigation turned up absolutely nothing after a week and a half. The powers that be said they intended to keep analysing the evidence, but released the bodies of Howard and Maria Stark. The double funeral is held on New Year’s Day._ _

__At Tony’s request, Steve comes with him. Along with Pepper, and Rhodey, who’d flown in from California. The three formed a human frame behind Tony and kept him upright through the long service and the even longer reception. Howard seems to have been acquainted with just about everyone in the international design scene, and all of them felt the need to come up to Tony and give condolences._ _

__No sooner are the four on the road and stuck in afternoon traffic than Tony is asleep and collapsed on Steve’s lap. Steve feels his face heat up. He’d only met Rhodey through Tony’s Skype calls and tended to stay out of Pepper’s way when she came over, since she was usually on a mission to give Tony a dressing down for one thing or another. He knew so little about them and here they were, watching their best friend crawl into a practical stranger’s lap through the rearview mirror, on the way back from a funeral. God damn it, Tony._ _

__Rhodey taps his fingers on the steering wheel to an imaginary rhythm. “So, what’s gonna happen now? With the company and stuff?”_ _

__“Howard’s business partner will be running it until Tony finishes college.” Pepper answers in her usual business-like trill. Steve really wants to know how and why she’s so involved in Tony’s professional life when she’s still a student herself._ _

__Tony snores a little and Steve smiles down at him. “Well, that’s good.”_ _

__“Say again?” Pepper turns her head to look at Steve._ _

__Steve turns even redder. He needs to learn how to shut up. “That’s good, that he get to stay in school. Yeah. It would be kind of awful if put all this work in and had to leave so close to the end.”_ _

__There’s an awkward pause where nobody’s sure what to say. Rhodey glances in the rearview again. “Seems like he’s grown kind of attached to you.”_ _

__Steve looks out the window and wills the traffic to move faster. “I suppose he has.”_ _

__“Well, that’s good,” Pepper says. “I mean, you have to share an apartment, after all. Kudos for putting up with him for this long.”_ _

__Steve feels something protective rear up within him. He replies instantly, “It’s more than that.”_ _

__Pepper looks around the seat again. “What?”_ _

__The gravity of it settles on Steve like his heavy overcoat. The slush and cars blur before his eyes and his hands tighten._ _

__“We’re friends,” is what he says, but it must sound as hollow as it feels._ _

__**February** _ _

__“So, what you’re saying is that you have feelings for him?”_ _

__Steve nods after casting a paranoid glance at the office door._ _

__“Well, that is a bit problematic.” Coulson sips thoughtfully at his coffee. “I’m not sure if there’s any help I can offer, though.”_ _

__“I understand. I just wanted to tell someone, and I trust you.” Steve tries to smile. “Keeping it to myself was starting to get draining.”_ _

__“I know that feeling.” Something changes in Coulson’s eyes, but Steve can’t decipher it. “Not to intrude, but have you ever had feelings for someone before?”_ _

__Steve looks down at his lap, absentmindedly plays with a loose thread. “Yeah, not that long ago, actually. It didn’t work out in the end-But I do know the difference. Between a crush and something more.”_ _

__“I don’t doubt that.” Coulson leans back in his chair, considering for a moment. “I’m afraid it’s up to you whether taking the chance is worth the risk or not. But either way, if you need some ice cream and a shoulder to lean on, I’d be happy to oblige.”_ _

__Steve shares a laugh with his T.A. “Thanks for listening, Phil. Sorry to burden you with this.”_ _

__“Not at all. I think it’d be fair to call us friends now, and what are friends for?”_ _

__Steve holds back a smirk as he gathers his things up. “Telling you that your second button is loose before you go to study group?”_ _

__Coulson’s expression stays remarkably fixed as his hand twitches up to cover the prominent, suggestive bruise with cotton once more. “Thank you. And best of luck, with whatever you decide to do.”_ _

__“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.”_ _

__* * *_ _

__Sometimes life conspires to stick it to you for no apparent reason at all. On the way from Coulson’s office to his kitchen, Steve passes a girl in the quad he’d seen exiting Tony’s bedroom early one morning, an abandoned magazine in the front lobby displaying Tony and his creative robots on the cover, and a bunch of Tony’s empty bottles in a box by their shoe rack._ _

__Steve snatches a bag of chips from the cupboard and starts eating them with unusual gusto. The empty ache in his chest is magnified that much more by the sound of happy chatter coming from Tony’s bedroom. He’ll be alright. He’s a strong, independent man who doesn’t need a smart, funny, unique man who is also very attractive. Not to mention-_ _

__“Hey, Steve! Show me your stuff!”_ _

__Steve drops his chips and nearly chokes. He hadn’t noticed Tony come bounding out of his room, and he _certainly_ hadn’t expected him to-_ _

__Tony grabs Steve’s messenger bag and starts searching through it. “C’mon, where’s your sketchbook? I know you never leave home without it.”_ _

__Oh. Okay._ _

__“Tony! Have some manners!” Bruce picks Steve’s chips off the ground and hands them to him. “Sorry. We got talking and you came up- Not in a bad way, or anything. Tony was mentioning that he encouraged you to do your own thing,-”_ _

__“But then I realized I’ve actually never laid eyes on any of your artwork, and you might suck. So I’m going to rectify that before I encourage you further.”_ _

__Steve is still at a loss for words. He stands awkwardly between them as Bruce gives Tony the exasperation head-tilt. “First of all, that was rude. Second, if he sucked he wouldn’t have gotten that scholarship. Third, you still haven’t asked permission to dig through his stuff.”_ _

__“First, I don’t care. Second, you can be technically good and creatively boring. Third, too late now.”_ _

__Tony keeps flipping in silence for several minutes before Steve finally finds his tongue. “Well, what’s the verdict?”_ _

__“Steve, who’s your favourite artist?”_ _

__Bruce rolls his eyes and retreats to Tony’s room to work. Steve thinks for a moment. “Well, Jack Kirby for comics. I’m not sure who else, I just like what I like.”_ _

__“Yeah, I can see that.” Tony closes the book and hands it to Steve. “You’re still green, but you’re miles ahead of most brats in your major. How long have you been drawing for?”_ _

__“As long as I’ve been able to, I guess. I only started getting proper lessons and stuff in high school, though. I had a really good teacher.”_ _

__“Well, you’ve got that necessary spark or spirit or whatever they call it. You know what I mean?”_ _

__“Not really. I like it, so I don’t mind working at it. It’s nothing special.”_ _

__“Sure it is, that’s the most important part.” Tony’s hands are almost blurring, they’re gesturing so fast. Steve can’t help but enjoy this habit. “You’ll do well, and you’ll do even better if you actually do what you want to do, as opposed to being one more licensing whore.”_ _

__Steve sighs, but decides not to comment on the last bit. “Well, thank you, Tony. That does mean a lot coming from you.”_ _

__“So it should, I don’t compliment people who don’t deserve it.” Tony reaches up and musses the part in Steve’s hair. “I’ll be in my room if you need me. Later.”_ _

__Steve waits until Tony’s door is closed. He walks to his own room, shuts the door, and flops onto his bed. He turns his music up so he can curse in frustration without being heard._ _

__**March** _ _

__One Saturday evening, watching Netflix on the couch, and playing the “Let’s ignore our homework until it goes away” game, Steve could swear he hears Tony say-_ _

__“Hey, I said, do you wanna make out?”_ _

__“I-I...Tony, we can’t _do_ that.”_ _

__“Why not?” Tony looks over the rims of his glasses at Steve. “Do you not like guys?”_ _

__“Yes- No, wait. Where the hell did this come from?”_ _

__Tony shrugs. “You’re hot, smart, and unlikely to be an inconsiderate douchebag in bed. What’s not to want?”_ _

__Steve’s never felt so caught between a rock and a hard place (pun not intended). “But...things will be awkward, afterwards.”_ _

__“Only if we let it. And even if it is, we don’t have to see each other ever again after next month.” Tony inches a little closer, rests a hand high on Steve’s leg. “If you don’t want to, that’s totally fine. But if you do-”_ _

__Steve’s only human, and can only hold out for so long. He yanks Tony’s glasses off and has enough presence of mind to set them down carefully before pinning Tony on his back. Steve’s not the most experienced kisser, but he’ll be damned if he lets that stop him._ _

__It’s not tender and quiet like his fantasies. It’s noisy and a little rough. Okay, and kind of embarrassing. Bumping elbows and clicking teeth. And then there’s Tony’s mouth working against his and their bodies sliding together and that’s just _fantastic_._ _

__At some point, Steve’s shirt comes off. At another point, so does Tony’s. The scars from an incident Steve only knows some dubious Wikipedia facts about produce some lovely noises from Tony when touched the right way._ _

__Tony’s hands find Steve’s groin and well, Steve doesn’t know what to do, so he stills. Tony immediately stops and looks up with darkened eyes. “Too far?”_ _

__“No, it’s just...” Steve takes a moment and his voice still comes out stilted. “I haven’t really done this before.”_ _

__“With a guy, or at all?”_ _

__“Never with a guy, and kind of, not really with a girl.”_ _

__“Huh.” Tony flicks his eyes over Steve’s body, a pondering expression on his face and an affectionate hand on Steve’s side. “Guess the pressure’s on now. You go wash up, I’ll get set up out here.” He presses a kiss to Steve’s shoulder, his voice almost a purr. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you a good time.”_ _

__Steve feels drunk as he runs a wet washcloth over himself in the bathroom. He doesn’t entirely know what “getting set up” involves or what he’s agreeing to, but he cannot find it in himself to care. Not now. Just the sound of Tony’s voice like that makes him ache with desire._ _

__Tony’s standing at the door and pecks Steve on the cheek before heading in himself. In his absence, Tony had managed to finally figure out how to pull out the pull-out bed of the couch. The curtains were drawn, lights dimmed, and condoms and lube standing at attention on the coffee table pushed off to one side._ _

__Steve sits on the edge of the bed, tense with anticipation. He’d put his pants back on, for some stupid reason, and they were feeling far too tight now. The seconds drag like hours until Tony opens the bathroom door._ _

__* * *_ _

__“Well?” Tony finishes wiping Steve down with a wet cloth and tosses it on the floor behind him. “Questions, comments, constructive criticism?”_ _

__Steve puts his hand over his face and breathes out a laugh. “It was good. Very, very good. Thanks for that.”_ _

__“Don’t _thank_ me, oh my god.” Tony maneuvers onto his side, trying to look appalled but unable to lose his smile. “Seriously, you can let me know if that wasn’t worth not being able to see unicorns again.”_ _

__“Unicorns? Oh, right.” Steve reaches up to pull the throw blanket off the back of the couch and down onto them. Goosebumps were pickling on both of them. “I still can see them, I think. I don’t think that counted as sex.”_ _

__“Excuse me? It definitely counted.”_ _

__“I don’t think that’s the proper definition.”_ _

__“The proper definition is if you can catch something from it, it’s sex.” Tony props himself up on one elbow, looking smug. “You, my friend, are officially a...non-virgin? Virgnot? Virgout? Yeah, that’s the one.”_ _

__Steve looks Tony in the eye, and they’re silent for a moment before they sputter into gut-busting laughter. The awkwardness is gone, replaced by warmth and something else. Steve can’t put his finger on it, it feels like satisfaction. He gets a hold of himself and relaxes into the thin mattress, sighing. He feels good and he doesn’t care how he’d feel in the morning._ _

__“Afterglow looks nice on you.” Tony kisses Steve softly before he rolls. Pushes himself until his back is against Steve’s chest and his arm is under Steve’s arm. “G’night Steve, sleep tight.”_ _

__Steve feels unsure again, but Tony’s asleep before he can say anything. He pulls the throw tighter around them, kisses Tony’s neck, and falls into a contented sleep._ _

__**April** _ _

__Double, double, toil and trouble; vending machine trips and unshaved stubble. Cool it with a posted grade, then Steve’s freshman year will be done and good._ _

__But before that, there’s the week of senior shows, and Steve has a date he’s going to keep._ _

__Tony’s has, of course, the largest and most notable crowd. Rightfully so. His senior project is a remarkable, showroom-sized virtual reality environment, incorporating an AI system and holographic elements that surpasses most work by professionals twice Tony’s age. It was this kind of skill and scale that let him get away with doing one final project for both of his majors._ _

__Steve‘s more than happy to stand off to the side while Tony chats up interviewers for this magazine or that newspaper. They keep trying to ask about his emotional connection to his work, what each piece represents, but Tony’s only interested in talking about the process and technical details. Steve has to smile. He knows from living with Tony for nearly eight months that he’s happiest with a wrench in his hand._ _

__“Okay, we’ve been here the requisite three hours.” Tony says around the expensive brie in his mouth. “Let’s get out of here.”_ _

__“What? You don’t want to stay?” Steve keeps examining one of Tony’s models. There were still a lot of famous names that kept circling Tony, waiting for their chance to run up and monopolize him for a few minutes._ _

__“Hell no. I ordered us a limo, let’s go.”_ _

__“Don’t you think that’s a little over the top?”_ _

__“It’s my senior show, it’s like my grown-up prom.” Tony links arms with Steve and swiftly navigates them through the crowds. “Besides, a little over the top never hurt anybody.”_ _

__Steve shakes his head but gets into the back of the waiting limo without complaint. It’s just them. Pepper, Bruce, and a few other friends had come and gone already. Tony asks the driver to just take them around for at least an hour. He cracks open the wine bottle and offers Steve the first glass._ _

__“Ask me again in two years and three months.”_ _

__“Boy scout.” Tony downs the glass and twists a little in his seat. He sets the glass down so he can run a hand over Steve’s lapels. It was Steve’s only suit, the same one he wore to the funeral. That felt like years ago, now._ _

__“Your final project is really amazing.” Steve says to break the palpable silence. “Maybe you should have gone to school for engineering.”_ _

__“In another lifetime, maybe.” Tony laughs and keeps his hand moving. “Your senior show will be just as good. If anybody’s smart enough to give you the attention you deserve, you’ll knock everybody out of the park when the time comes.”_ _

__“Thank you.”_ _

__“Quit thanking me. Jesus. You watch. Someday I’ll be telling Biography how I used to watch you sit on the couch, sticking your tongue out while you inked.”_ _

__“Shut up, I do not!”_ _

__“Do too.” Tony leans in and steals a kiss. “I was wondering...Would you consider moving in with me for the summer?”_ _

__Steve does a double take. He thought he’d gotten used to his roommate’s abruptness. “Tony, I don’t think,-”_ _

__“Hear me out. I’m moving back to the house- you’ve seen it, right?”_ _

__“Yes. I think it can be seen from space.”_ _

__“Quiet, you. I’m moving back home and taking over SI, I’ll probably be pretty busy for a while, actually. But you can move into one of the wings, you’ll have all your own space and stuff. Do you have a job lined up, yet?”_ _

__“Yeah. Secretarial job at a design firm.” He was pretty surprised they hired him, but wasn’t about to complain._ _

__“There we go. So you can buy your own food, pay some rent, make your contribution to the household. And when we’re both not at work, I’ll take you around and show you some opportunities a young artist like yourself should be taking advantage of.”_ _

__Steve moves away from Tony’s wandering hands and crosses his arms. “I’ve told you that I appreciate your encouragement, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to be a novelty item you can drag around and show off.”_ _

__A note of honesty rings clear in Tony’s voice. “Steve, come on, that’s not the only reason I’m asking you.”_ _

__There it is, right out in the open. Steve’s hands drop a little, worrying at his elbows. “Isn’t that taking things a little fast?”_ _

__“Like I said, you’ll have your own space.” Tony smiles, cautious and welcoming. “You could go the whole summer without seeing me. But if this, this- whatever this is, has a chance of working, I don’t want us losing touch because we’re too busy and tired to see each other.”_ _

__Steve nods, he can see the logic behind it. “But what about when I go back to school? There’ll be distance and schedule conflicts then, too.”_ _

__“The way I see it, by the end of four months, we’ll have our shit together one way or the other.”_ _

__Steve laughs and closes his eyes for a moment. His thoughts seem blurred. He’d pulled an all-nighter so he’d have time to come to Tony’s show. “Can I have a day or two to think about it?”_ _

__“Sure, sure.” Tony nods, hope and nervousness clear behind his lenses. “Hey, do you want to,-”_ _

__The rest of the question is swallowed by Steve’s mouth and the rest of the night is bliss followed by sleep._ _

__* * *_ _

__“Oh god, I needed that.” Coulson groans after polishing off his espresso in one long swig. “Sorry. I’ve barely slept this week. You have no idea how happy I’ll be to never have to do an exam, or a term paper, or an image analysis ever again.”_ _

__Steve laughs in camaraderie. “I know the feeling. This morning, I had to take a second to remember how to tie my shoelaces.”_ _

__“Just a few more days now, that’s what I keep telling myself.” Coulson smiles, glancing around the sparse, on-campus coffee shop before returning his attention to Steve. “Have you figured out where you’re living for the summer?”_ _

__“Tony invited me to live with him until school starts up again.”_ _

__Coulson pauses, powdered doughnut halfway to his mouth. “Oh really?”_ _

__“Yeah.” Steve sips at his own coffee, eyes on the table. “And I’m thinking of taking him up on it.”_ _

__“I sense a ‘but’ somewhere in that sentence.”_ _

__Steve sighs, an aggravated noise. “But I know he drinks too much and hasn’t had a successful romantic relationship to speak of. He barely sleeps and forgets to eat. He plays the part of eccentric genius to a T. To be honest, he’s a terrible roommate, and his only redeeming quality is that he doesn’t barge in on me in the bathroom.”_ _

__“I sense another ‘but.’”_ _

__“But I like him anyways.” Steve smiles into the hand propping up his face. “I like dragging him away from his work to eat takeout. I like bantering with him. I like the random nice things he does and his weird habits. I’m happy when we’re together.”_ _

__“So where do I come into this?” Coulson’s tone is tired, but his eyes are glinting._ _

__Steve turns the tiniest bit red at hearing himself. “You’re supposed to say that you’ve seen a lot of young kids like me end up heartbroken and in a bad way because they got ahead of themselves. I should find my own place and approach this with caution, because it’s my first relationship as an adult and probably won’t last.”_ _

__“Fuck that noise.” Coulson grins as Steve twitches, knowing he’s never said anything like that in front of the kid. Or most people for that matter. “I’m not exactly an ancient pillar of wisdom, but I’ve learned this much. Don’t choose what’s expected of you over what you really want.”_ _

__“...I guess I can’t disagree with that.”_ _

__“It’s the truth. Besides, you’re smart and you can take care of yourself. If he makes you happy, then go be with him. Life’s too short.” Coulson shrugs a little and takes a few bites of his doughnut. “So, anything else lined up for the summer besides that job you told me about?”_ _

__“Well, Tony said he wants to show me all these opportunities in the city for young artists. He’s very encouraging.”_ _

__“So he should be, you deserve it.”_ _

__“Aw, I bet you say that to all the undergrads...”_ _

__Eventually, they exit the coffee shop and find the air warmer than when they went in. Typical city campus that NYSA is, it doesn’t have much in the way of grass or flowers, but spring is making itself known anyways._ _

__The two promise to keep up email exchanges and visits when possible, and mean it. Almost the moment they wave goodbye, the design student that had given Steve the bad news all those months ago comes up behind Coulson and wraps his arms around him. Surprising to most, Coulson the consummate professional doesn’t seem to mind much when his boyfriend plants a showy, wet kiss on his cheek in public._ _

__Likewise, Steve doesn’t mind much when Tony tackles him in excited anticipation before he can close the door to the dorm and give them some privacy._ _

__**Epilogue** _ _

__Steve’s still musing on all those early snapshots when he realizes he hasn’t moved his pencil in a good five minutes. “Oops, sorry guys! Got all caught up in my own thoughts for a second.”_ _

__He looks up at the Livestream chat window to check on his viewers, who immediately jump in with “No problem’s” and “I do that all the time’s.” Steve smiles, glad to have such nice fans. He’s been to a few webcomic events in his couple years of doing this and heard some real horror stories. “While I’m here, does anyone have any questions?”_ _

__An anonymous user jumps in. “How did you come up with the story?”_ _

__Steve repeats the question as he goes back to sketching a panel. It’s a question he’s been asked many times, but never minds answering again. “Well, when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, me and a friend of mine had really good imaginations. All day long we’d run around and make up adventures as we went, all sorts of different things. It was a lot of fun. So one day, I was remembering a few of the adventures we had, one was about a society of pocket-sized people. And, as you can see, the idea stuck.”_ _

__Steve smiles to himself as he recalls those early sketches. It’s a nostalgic kind of day. “What can I say, I’m a sucker for anything that lets me draw lavish details of the city ad nauseum.”_ _

__Conversation amongst the viewers springs up from that. Steve goes back to drawing until he hears familiar footsteps and loud humming coming towards his studio. “Oh, Tony’s home! I’ll be back in ten minutes, guys!”_ _

__Steve hits the button that cuts the mic and camera and turns around in his chair just as Tony walks in. “Hey, how was work?”_ _

__“A couple stupid meetings, but otherwise good.” Tony leans in to give Steve a lingering kiss. He pulls a small box out of pocket and opens it to reveal a ring. “Will you marry me?”_ _

__They’ve been together for five years and Tony could still manage to stun Steve into temporary silence. It’s an accomplishment of sorts._ _

__Tony looks at Steve sideways. “Aren’t you supposed to get down on one knee?”_ _

__“No, _you_ are.”_ _

__“Oh, right. Knew I’d gotten something wrong.” Tony drops down and holds the ring box up. “Eh?”_ _

__Steve rubs at his forehead. “Tony, we haven’t even talked about this yet.”_ _

__“I thought that was the point of the proposal. I propose, you say yes because you love me, we talk about it, wedding bells will hopefully follow. Yes?”_ _

__“No, that’s how the movies do it. There’s a lot of things we have to consider. Finances, first of all,-”_ _

__“No worries there. You’re already in my will as getting most of my money.”_ _

__“Okay, wow. You’re supposed to tell people about things like that. Moving on, there’s the question of having kids.”_ _

__“Well Steve, I regret to inform you that as two men we can’t _have_ kids. We can adopt kids. Or do the surrogacy thing. Think Carol would be willing to carry our child?”_ _

__“The logistics can wait, but no. Probably not.” Steve shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts._ _

__“We’ve lived together this long without killing each other. Our sex life is great, our careers our compatible, I’ve dealt with my drinking issue, thing, yeah.” Tony starts counting with his free hand. “Religion, extended family, amount of time spent together, all non-issues! According to the magazine I read at the dentist, we’re ‘well on our way to marital bliss!’”_ _

__Steve’s hand stops rubbing his temple, he just looks at Tony. “That’s what tipped you off? An issue of Cosmopolitan?”_ _

__“Good Housekeeping, actually. Cosmopolitan is scary stuff. Have you read their sex tips?”_ _

__Steve takes a deep breath and counts to five. “So that’s why you want to get married? Because one of us burying the other in the yard is unlikely?”_ _

__“Yeah, what reasons would you give if you were in my position?” Tony switches knees, less to punctuate and more because hardwood floors, ouch._ _

__“Oh, I don’t know.” Steve crosses his arms. “Being in love with you, wanting to spend the rest of my life with you, you being the ying to my yang. Nothing important.”_ _

__“Hey, wait! Of course, all that stuff too!” Tony’s voice is high and fast, it’s the voice he usually uses with Pepper. “I thought that was implicit in this thing!”_ _

__Tony practically shoves the ring in Steve’s face. Steve finally takes it out of the box and rolls it around in his hand. It’s made of turquoise, with a decent-sized ruby set in it. Not the usual ring at all._ _

__“Like it? Made it myself. Reminds me of us.”_ _

__Steve holds back a smile as he murmurs. “When did you learn jewellery-making?”_ _

__“Couple days ago.”_ _

__Steve looks at the ring for a long moment, controlling his expression. He slips the ring on the proper finger and it’s a perfect fit._ _

__Tony lights up. “You-mmph!”_ _

__Steve claps a hand over Tony’s mouth. “We’re going to have some very long talks about paperwork and other boring things. We might need to have some difficult conversations. We’ll need to come to some kind of agreement on the wedding and all its details. But my answer is an indefinite yes.”_ _

__Tony pushes Steve’s hand away with one hand and pulls him down by the neck with the other. They share a long and lovely kiss. Steve laughs into it when Tony’s newly-grown goatee tickles his cheek. Once they separate, Tony shifts so both knees are on the floor and he’s splayed across Steve’s lap._ _

__“Let’s make sure we stay married, no Kahlo-Rivera bullshit. That took a couple years off my life, m’not doing that again.”_ _

__“Was it really that scary?” Steve smiles fondly, watching Tony’s arms wrap around his waist._ _

__“Yeah, it was. All I could think about was our big split. I don’t want that to happen again.”_ _

__Steve bites his lip hard. After a major clash of personalities at the end of Steve’s junior year, they’d gone their separate ways for most of his senior year. It had been the right decision at the time, and Steve found it hard to regret the changes in both of them as a result. But it hadn’t been easy to shake off, even though they’d come back together as passionately as they’d broken up. “I want to be with you. It won’t happen again if I have anything to say about it.”_ _

__Tony doesn’t say anything for a moment. “I guess I can take the word of the ‘beloved darling of the American webcomics scene.’”_ _

__Steve leans back and groans. “I swear one day I will track down whoever wrote that article and sue them for defamation of character.”_ _

__“What about libel? They said you had ‘azure’ blue eyes. Your eyes are clearly peacock blue.” Tony grins up at Steve even as his fiance pinches him. “Speaking of which, you might want to tell your viewers that you’ll have to finish streaming tomorrow.”_ _

__“Oh! That’s right.” Steve’s computer screensaver tells him more than ten minutes has gone by. “I’ll tell them something came up.”_ _

__“You’ll tell them you got engaged and they’ll congratulate you.” Tony stands and pecks Steve on the cheek. “Show off your ring. Hell, invite them to the wedding. The ones that come to your conventions seem like nice people.” His hand finds the spot on Steve’s neck near his pulse and rubs before he darts for the door. “And when you’re done, I’ll be up in the master bathroom. Covered in soapy water, gazing lustfully over my shoulder, the usual.”_ _

__Steve laughs, loud this time, and very genuine. “Up in a second.”_ _

__**_ FIN _ ** _ _

**Author's Note:**

> It's worth noting that there's a whole world to this AU. Many headcanons I will probably not write out. But I can tell you that the Avengers, even in this capacity, do "assemble" at some point after the events of the main story (but before the Epilogue). Thor even shows up! But I'll leave the details up to you guys ;D.


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